Best Public Relations Specialist programs in California, ranked by enrollment
Promote or create an intended public image for individuals, groups, or organizations. May write or select material for release to various communications media.
156 schools in California run programs that feed this job, graduating 10,428 people a year. The job pays a median of $85,030 in California across about 32,710 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in California that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
8 programs in California that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in California (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own California page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Speech Communication and Rhetoricmain feeder CIP 09.0101In California → | 8,056 | 77.3% | 143 | $34,858 | $25,000 |
| 2 | Communication, Generalmain feeder CIP 09.0100In California → | 1,752 | 16.8% | 23 | $34,858 | $25,000 |
| 3 | CIP 09.0900In California → | 249 | 2.4% | 12 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
| 4 | Public Relations/Image Managementmain feeder CIP 09.0902In California → | 210 | 2.0% | 5 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
| 5 | Business/Corporate Communications, Generalmain feeder CIP 52.0501In California → | 102 | 1.0% | 2 | $41,000 | $26,000 |
| 6 | Health Communicationmain feeder CIP 09.0905In California → | 29 | 0.3% | 3 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
| 7 | CIP 09.0907In California → | 29 | 0.3% | 1 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
| 8 | Sports Communicationmain feeder CIP 09.0906In California → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
Top 25 schools in California
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 38 of the 156 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California - Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 618 | Communication, General | $46,598 | 83% | — | 33% |
| 2 | California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 548 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $34,120 | 70% | — | 91% |
| 3 | University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 484 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $47,651 | 92% | $26,873 | 10% |
| 4 | California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 415 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $34,172 | 69% | — | 46% |
| 5 | San Diego State University San Diego, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 369 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $37,773 | 76% | — | 36% |
| 6 | California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 336 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $39,304 | 56% | — | 94% |
| 7 | University of California - Davis Davis, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 265 | Communication, General | $42,569 | 86% | — | 42% |
| 8 | California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 244 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $30,794 | 57% | — | 93% |
| 9 | Santa Barbara City College Santa Barbara, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 242 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | — | 34% | — | — |
| 10 | University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 239 | Communication, General | $33,046 | 86% | — | 27% |
| 11 | San Jose State University San Jose, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 228 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | — | 69% | — | 85% |
| 12 | Chapman University Orange, CA Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 226 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $44,601 | 82% | $42,965 | 65% |
| 13 | University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 225 | Communication, General | — | 93% | — | 9% |
| 14 | San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 171 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $40,790 | 50% | — | 96% |
| 15 | Santa Monica College Santa Monica, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 166 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | — | 36% | — | — |
| 16 | California State University - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 165 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | — | 53% | — | 91% |
| 17 | Long Beach City College Long Beach, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 162 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | — | 30% | — | — |
| 18 | California State University - San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 139 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $32,408 | 55% | — | 94% |
| 19 | Bakersfield College Bakersfield, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 136 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | — | 21% | — | — |
| 20 | Cerritos College Norwalk, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 130 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | — | 31% | — | — |
| 21 | California State University - San Marcos San Marcos, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 122 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $36,310 | 55% | — | 95% |
| 22 | Chaffey College Rancho Cucamonga, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 122 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | — | 36% | — | — |
| 23 | Saddleback College Mission Viejo, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 122 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | — | 48% | — | — |
| 24 | California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Pomona, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 118 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $32,852 | 68% | — | 75% |
| 25 | Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 111 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $41,113 | 79% | $36,488 | 45% |
All 156 schools in California
Every school in California with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of California - Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara | Public | 618 | 1 |
| California State University - Fullerton | Fullerton | Public | 548 | 1 |
| University of Southern California | Los Angeles | Private not-for-profit | 484 | 5 |
| California State University - Long Beach | Long Beach | Public | 415 | 2 |
| San Diego State University | San Diego | Public | 369 | 2 |
| California State University - Sacramento | Sacramento | Public | 336 | 1 |
| University of California - Davis | Davis | Public | 265 | 1 |
| California State University - Northridge | Northridge | Public | 244 | 1 |
| Santa Barbara City College | Santa Barbara | Public | 242 | 1 |
| University of California - San Diego | La Jolla | Public | 239 | 1 |
| San Jose State University | San Jose | Public | 228 | 2 |
| Chapman University | Orange | Private not-for-profit | 226 | 5 |
| University of California - Los Angeles | Los Angeles | Public | 225 | 1 |
| San Francisco State University | San Francisco | Public | 171 | 1 |
| Santa Monica College | Santa Monica | Public | 166 | 1 |
What public relations specialists earn in California
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $74,750. California pays above the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in California
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Public Relations Specialists page.
How to become a Public Relations Specialist
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in California
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 11 majors mapped to Public Relations Specialists11 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 09.0100Communication, General
- 09.0101Speech Communication and Rhetoric
- 09.0900Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
- 09.0902Public Relations/Image Management
- 09.0904Political Communication
- 09.0905Health Communication
- 09.0906Sports Communication
- 09.0907International and Intercultural Communication
- 19.0202Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Communication
- 52.0501Business/Corporate Communications, General
- 52.0599Business/Corporate Communications, Other
Common questions
Answers for people weighing public relations specialists programs in California.
What degree do you need to become a Public Relations Specialist?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Speech Communication and Rhetoric, which awarded 8,056 degrees in California in 2024-25, 77.3% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Public Relations Specialist?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 8 programs to this occupation. The largest are Communication and Media Studies, Public Relations, Business/Corporate Communications. Together they graduate about 10,428 people a year in California.
How much do public relations specialists earn in California?+
The median is $85,030 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 13.8% above the U.S. median of $74,750. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for public relations specialists growing?+
BLS projects a +4.8% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 27,600 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in California?+
156 institutions in California reported graduates from at least one of the 8 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do public relations specialists work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Communications Specialist, Public Affairs Specialist, Public Information Officer, Public Relations Specialist (PR Specialist) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 27-3031.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
Explore every U.S. college in one conversation
Clema turns plain-language questions into sourced answers across every U.S. institution — earnings, aid, acceptance, graduation, safety, and athletics from IPEDS, College Scorecard, and 10+ federal datasets, built in.
Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card